Something that is purple is of a reddish-blue colour.
She wore purple and green silk.
...sinister dark greens and purples.
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Purple prose or a purple patch is a piece of writing that contains very elaborate language or images.
...passages of purple prose describing intense experiences.
3.
See purple patch
purple in British English
(ˈpɜːpəl)
noun
1.
any of various colours with a hue lying between red and blue and often highly saturated; a nonspectral colour
2.
a dye or pigment producing such a colour
3.
cloth of this colour, often used to symbolize royalty or nobility
4. the purple
5.
a.
the official robe of a cardinal
b.
the rank, office, or authority of a cardinal as signified by this
6. the purple
adjective
7.
of the colour purple
8.
(of writing) excessively elaborate or full of imagery
purple prose
9.
noble or royal
10. informal
of or relating to disabled people or disability
the purple pound
11. US
not historically or habitually supporting either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party
purple states
purple voters
Derived forms
purpleness (ˈpurpleness)
noun
purplish (ˈpurplish)
adjective
purply (ˈpurply)
adjective
Word origin
Old English, from Latin purpura purple dye, from Greek porphura the purple fish (Murex)
purple in American English
(ˈpɜrpəl)
noun
1.
a dark color that is a blend of red and blue
2. Rare
a.
deep crimson
b.
cloth or clothing of such color: an emblem of royalty or high rank
adjective
3.
of the color purple
4.
imperial; royal
5.
a.
ornate or elaborate in literary style
usually used pejoratively
purple prose
b.
profane or obscene
purple language
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈpurpled or ˈpurpling
6.
to make or become purple
Idioms:
born to the purple
the purple
Word origin
ME purpel < OE (Northumbrian) purpl(e), dissimilated var. of WS purpur(e) < L purpura, purple < Gr porphyra, shellfish yielding purple dye
Examples of 'purple' in a sentence
purple
Add the blueberries while the porridge cooks so that they pop and bleed their purple colour into the mixture.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
If you have dark skin, purple is glorious.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Despite the potential colour clash of purple with red or orange, the flowering times rarely overlap.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I thought they were red or purple.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It's the elegant balance of its hips, fine autumnal foliage and deep purple stems that do it for me.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Eye shadow colours that would really suit you are pale blue or purple.
The Sun (2012)
Tiny pockets of purple lavender sprouted hopefully from cracks in the baked earth.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The colour theme was purple and cream.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Then in ruby crown and royal purple she served them all.
George MacDonald The Princess and the Curdie (1883)
The raw steaks are glossy and deep purple.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We think this is a purple patch.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The double dark purples would go well with bronze fennel.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Just us and a pool table with a purple cloth.
The Sun (2008)
The shiny green leaves with purple spots are also very conspicuous.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Anyone would think he had dyed his hair purple.
The Sun (2012)
Their purple and red outfits were carefully chosen to send a message to spectators.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
This is one of the most delicious things you can do with a bundle of purple sprouting.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The colour purple is the playground sensation du jour.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Russian sage with almost white foliage and deep purple flowers.
Page, Russell The Education of a Gardener (1994)
The thing about purple patches is that they tend to be temporary.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Similarly there are pink and dark purple varieties of lavender.
Stickland, Sue Planning the Organic Herb Garden (1986)
With opinion so divided there would be distinctive pictures of swathes of green and contrasting purple being proudly displayed.
The Sun (2010)
So do horses with names that remind you of a neighbour and carrying the number four and a jockey in purple silks.
The Sun (2009)
She really looked beautiful tonight in a kind of patterned dress, deep reds and purples and blues.
Paige, Frances The Glasgow Girls (1994)
This is the royal purple.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The two bankers and their esteemed guests shared a lavish four-course meal and fine wines at a table decked in a purple cloth.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
When we first see him, his spindly frame is swathed in a purple and red silk dressing gown emblazoned with his name.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
THIS eye colour will suit purples, berry hues and nudes.
The Sun (2016)
Made by drying fresh plums, prunes are great for a family of dark purple antioxidant pigments, thought to help the flow of blood and oxygen.
The Sun (2014)
In other languages
purple
British English: purple /ˈpɜːpl/ ADJECTIVE
Something that is purple is reddish-blue in colour.
She wore purple and green silk.
American English: purple
Arabic: أُرْجُوَانِي
Brazilian Portuguese: roxo
Chinese: 紫色的
Croatian: ljubičast
Czech: purpurový
Danish: purpur
Dutch: paars
European Spanish: morado
Finnish: violetti
French: violet
German: violett
Greek: πορφυρός
Italian: viola
Japanese: 紫色の
Korean: 자줏빛의
Norwegian: purpurfarget
Polish: purpurowy
European Portuguese: roxo
Romanian: violet
Russian: пурпурный
Latin American Spanish: morado
Swedish: lila
Thai: ที่มีสีม่วง
Turkish: mor
Ukrainian: фіолетовий
Vietnamese: tím
All related terms of 'purple'
purple sage
a plant, Salvia leucophylla , of the mint family, native to California , having silvery leaves and purple spikes of flowers
the purple
high rank; nobility
purple finch
a North American finch , Carpodacus purpureus , having a raspberry-red head , breast , and rump
purple heart
The Purple Heart is a medal that is given to members of the US Armed Forces who have been wounded during battle .
purple heron
an Old World heron , Ardea purpurea , having maroon, buff , and black plumage
purple martin
the largest North American swallow ( Progne subis ), with bluish-black plumage
purple medic
a leguminous plant, Medicago sativa, of Europe and Asia, having compound leaves with three leaflets and clusters of small purplish flowers. It is widely cultivated for forage and as a nitrogen fixer and used as a commercial source of chlorophyll
purple patch
If someone, especially a sports player or team , goes through a purple patch , they are very successful or lucky for a period.
purple pound
the money spent by disabled people considered collectively
purple prose
writing that calls attention to itself because of its obvious use of certain effects, as exaggerated sentiment or pathos , esp. in an attempt to enlist or manipulate the reader's sympathies
royal purple
a deep reddish-purple colour, sometimes approaching a strong violet
Tyrian purple
a deep purple dye obtained from molluscs of the genus Murex and highly prized in antiquity
visual purple
→ rhodopsin
purple emperor
any of several Old World nymphalid butterflies of the genus Apatura, esp A. iris , having mottled purple-and-brown wings
purple grackle
the common grackle
purple passage
a section in a piece of writing characterized by rich , fanciful , or ornate language
purple coneflower
either of the two N American plants of the genus Echinacea , having flower heads with purple rays and black centres: family Compositae ( composites )
purple gallinule
a long-toed purple aquatic bird, Porphyrio porphyrio (or Porphyrula martinica ), of the southern US and Europe, with red legs and red bill : family Rallidae ( rails , etc)
purple loosestrife
a purple-flowered lythraceous marsh plant, Lythrum salicaria
purple sandpiper
a sandpiper , Calidris maritima , of arctic regions of the New and Old World, having in winter a slate-gray back with purplish reflections
born to the purple
being of royal or high birth
early purple orchid
a Eurasian orchid , Orchis mascula, with purplish-crimson flowers and stems marked with blackish-purple spots
purple-fringed orchid
either of two North American orchids , Habenaria psychodes or H . fimbriata, having purple fringed flowers
purple-fringed orchis
either of two North American orchids ( Habenaria psycodes and H . fimbriata ) with purple-fringed flowers
birthroot
any of several North American plants of the genus Trillium , esp T . erectum , whose tuber-like roots were formerly used by the Native Americans as an aid in childbirth : family Trilliaceae
blite
any of a variety of plants in the family Chenopodiaceae , esp Amaranthus blitum
joe-pye weed
any of several North American plants of the genus Eupatorium , esp E. purpureum, having pale purplish clusters of flower heads lacking rays : family Asteraceae ( composites )
echinacea
either of the two N American plants of the genus Echinacea, having flower heads with purple rays and black centres: family Compositae ( composites )